PMD: Shadows Awakened
by Goodra
Summary: Princess Lucy has run away from home and joins a Guild where she is forced to team up with an obnoxious Zoroark. Meanwhile, sinister plots are swirling and the sudden appearance of beings known as Shadow Pokemon are disrupting the peaceful life the Pokemon once had. Will Lucy be able to overcome the challenges that appear before her. (May or may not be a good summary, but...)
1. Chapter 1: Into the Night

**I absolutely love the Mystery Dungeon games, and decided to make my own story of one. I hope y'all like it. Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Chapter 1: Into the Night**

"Lucy, it's time to go!" My mother's irritated voice came from the other side of the door.

I sighed. Why did I have to be the princess? Why did I have to be the first-born?

"I'll be out in a minute!" I shouted.

"Well hurry it up, we don't have all day!"

Groaning, I banged my head against the wall, completely exasperated.

Brushing my fur till it was nice and smooth, I proceeded to tuck a Gracidea flower behind my right ear, which signified royalty.

I hated life here, it was boring, and I couldn't stand being a princess.

Everyone treated me the same damn way. I didn't have any friends, mother never allowed me to mingle with 'commoners'.

The only Pokémon I ever got to talk to were my siblings, Riley and Azula, who were still in their Riolu forms.

Today was supposed to be a 'special' day though…the choosing of my mate.

I've met each of my suitors, but I didn't like any of them.

One was a Lucario named Woolrick, a Gallade named Nexus, and a Greninja named Crona. Each one of them was the prince of their respective tribes.

The Greninja clearly had the disadvantage being a Dark Type against two Fighting Types.

The goal here was to join our tribe and one of the other three tribes together through marriage. Of course, I had to be the oldest child. I do wonder though if any of them liked me, or if they were forced into this.

Sighing once again, I exited the house and met up with my parents. Riley and Azula were staying with our grandparents while the fight went on.

Mother was very impatient, annoyed that she had to wait on me while father was very calm, the complete opposite of mother.

"You look beautiful, dear." Father smiled.

"Thank you father."

"We must go now or we'll be late." Mother tapped her foot impatiently.

"Alright, calm down, we're leaving." Father rolled his eyes.

I followed me parents to a bit arena where the 3 potential mates, their parents, and our tribe's inhabitants were at.

The princes all waved at me with smiles plastered onto their faces and I waved back, forcing one onto my own.

We exchanged greetings with their parents and went to sit in our chairs.

Honestly, out of the three, I hoped that the Greninja didn't win I mean, I don't really like any of them, but the tongue scarf thing wasn't very appealing to me.

Father stood from his chair. "Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come the choosing of Princess Lucy's mate. Asking for her hand in marriage is Prince Woolrick of the Northern Lucario Tribe, Prince Nexus of the Gallade Tribe, and Prince Crona of the Greninja Tribe. Gentlemen, I wish you luck. Now, let the battle begin!"

The battle commenced, but I paid little attention, daydreaming instead.

I dreamt of exploring and going on adventures. Father used to tell me stories of famous exploration teams when I was just a little Riolu.

I've always wanted to be on an exploration team since then, but I never did. I've barely even been outside the village.

Thunderous applause slapped me back into reality. Inside the arena, only one Pokémon was left standing: Nexus the Gallade.

I sighed in slight relief. At least it wasn't the Greninja.

Nexus walked proudly to his parents, then to mine, and finally, me.

Bowing, he smiled. "Princess Lucy, it is a great honor to be your chosen mate."

Nodding, I gave a small smile. "A pleasure, Prince Nexus."

He took my hand and kissed it, leaving afterwards.

There was a rule here that the groom/bride was not allowed to see each other until the wedding day…that just so happened to be tomorrow.

Why couldn't it be a week from now? That way I could enjoy what little time I have left of being single, and later tonight, there would be a celebration among the tribe in order to commemorate my wedding with Prince Nexus.

This wasn't going to be a very joyous occasion for me in the slightest.

I was ushered back home and into my room where I was told to prepare for tonight's celebration.

Sitting on the floor, I sighed. Why couldn't I just get away from this place? Why can't I just leave?

Wait a minute…I can just leave! I could run away!

That option had never occurred to me, I had just endured my time here.

I would have to wait till right before the celebration though while everyone was at the main square.

Judging by the sun's position in the sky though, that wouldn't be till another two or three hours.

Now I just had to wait...

~Someplace else~

The lone Machoke fell to the ground with a heavy thud, knocked out by a powerful Flamethrower from the Shiny Zoroark in front of him.

"Humph, and they doubted my abilities. A Type disadvantage won't be enough to bring me down." He sneered.

Taking some rope out of his bag, the fox began to tie the Machoke's hands and feet together so he couldn't escape.

"Now, back to the Guild with this one." He hefted the unconscious Pokémon over his shoulder, groaning at the weight.

On his way back, the Machoke woke up and started squirming around.

The Zoroark dropped his captive to the ground, cursing. "Dammit, shut the hell up!"

Punching him in the face, the Fighting Type became quiet once again, falling into unconsciousness.

An hour later, a large building came into view.

It looked like a castle from an old storybook, complete with towers and everything, and had a sign out front that read "The Four Seasons Guild".

~Lucy~

It's about time, another hour and everyone would be in the village square.

My parents won't be here until that time, so I have plenty of time to myself, and won't have to worry about leaving early.

Would I miss this place? Arceus, no, what I would miss was my father, grandfather, and siblings.

I could probably live with that though. As long as I could get out of here before tomorrow, I would be fine.

I hope there aren't any guards though. Even though I'm confident I could best them in battle, I would prefer not to make a scene.

A knock on my door came. Has it been an hour already? "Lucy, it's time to go! Don't keep us waiting!"

"Yes, mother!" I called.

Shit, I've got to go now. Mother is very impatient and it won't be long till she comes back.

I looked out the balcony. It was a two-floor drop down and there was a tree next to the wall.

It was an easy climb down. Quickly reaching the bottom branch, I hopped off and landed safely onto the ground below.

After looking to see if anyone was around, I dashed off towards the forest, only to be grabbed from behind as I reached the safety of the trees.

Turning around to Power-Up-Punch my captor, I stopped mid-punch.

It was my grandfather, head of the guard.

"G-Grandfather!"

"Lucy…you're…running away aren't you?" He asked sadly.

I flinched under his gaze. "Y-Yes…" There was no point in lying, he already knew my intentions.

To my surprise, he slowly let go of me and sighed. "I figured as much…you never really liked it here, did you?"

Shaking my head, my voice started to crack. "No, I hate it here! I hate this life and I don't want to marry Nexus! I can't stay here anymore!"

Suddenly, he reached up and gently took the Gracidea Flower off my head. "Then go. You deserve to have a life of your own, not the one that was chosen for you. I'll take the Gracidea Flower elsewhere, without it, it'll help you blend in with the people around you."

With tears now steaming from my eyes, I embraced him tightly. "That you, grandfather, I love you…"

"I love you too, Lucy. Always remember that, and always have faith and courage by your side. Now go before they notice. The nearest place is Daylight Square, it's a three day journey from here…. have a safe trip, and a wonderful life."

We let go of each other with one last goodbye, not looking back as I raced through the trees.

**Yea, I decided to not go with the usual human turning into a Pokemon thing. I just wanted to do something different, especially since three of my current ones having a human that transformed into a Pokemon. Anyways, I really hope y'all enjoyed this, Chapter 2 will hopefully be done soon. **


	2. Chapter 2: The Four Seasons Guild

**Yay! Chapter 2's done! Hope y'all like it. Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Chapter 2: The Four Seasons Guild**

Grandfather was right, it took three days to reach Daylight Square.

It was quite beautiful too. There was a gorgeous fountain in the center with Milotic statues around it, as well as a multitude of colorful flowers surrounding its base.

There were all kinds of Pokémon here too, all smiling and laughing as they talked to each other. It was quite lively and cheerful, and just seeing all those cheerful faces made me happy.

"Excuse me, are you new here?" A voice asked.

Startled, I looked over to see a large pudgy Dragon with specks of goo dripping off of it.

Most of its body was a light lavender color while the underside was mauve. It had two kind, bright green eyes with two green spots on both sides of its face, and three others on the thick, curved tail. Two sets of antennae were perched atop the head; one set short, skinny, and standing up while the other set was long, thick, drooped downwards, and curved.

I think this Pokémon is called a Goodra.

"Um, yeah…"

The Goodra smiled. "Welcome to Daylight Square then. My name is Tsubaki, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Lucy." We shook hands, some of the goo from hers sticking onto mine.

"So Lucy, what brings you to Daylight Square?" She asked.

Honestly, the only reason I came here was because of my grandfather, but maybe Tsubaki knows where a Guild is.

"Do you happen to know where any Guilds are?"

Tsubaki's eyes gleamed. "Come with me, there's a list of Guilds hanging up near the Milotic fountain."

I nodded and followed her to the bulletin board that had different papers scattered across it. Surprisingly though, we were the only ones there.

Tsubaki pointed to a piece of paper. "There are lots of Guilds, but most only deal with a certain Type of Pokemon. There are a few that will accept any Type though. Since you're a Dual Type, you would only be able to join an all Types Guild, a Fighting Guild, or a Steel Guild."

Looking through the paper, I noted that Tsubaki was right; most of the Guilds on there were for specific Types.

**Only Type Guilds**

~Steel- The Ironworks Guild

~Fighting- The Martial Arts Guild

~Dragon- The Dragonmark Guild

~Fairy- The Fairy Tail Guild

~Water- The Flood Guild

~Fire- The Inferno Guild

~Grass- The Forest Guild

~Electric- The Lightning Guild

~Flying- The Heavens Guild

~Normal- The Neutrality Guild

~Dark- The Nightmare Guild

~Psychic- The Grace Guild

~Poison- The Toxic Guild

~Ground- The Underground Guild

~Rock- The Sturdy Guild

~Ghost- The Phantom Guild

~Bug- The Insect Guild

~Ice- The Frozen Guild

**All Type Guilds**

~The Four Seasons Guild

"Why is there only one Guild listed for all Types?" I asked.

"Well, there are other Guilds that recruit members of all Types, but most prefer to post in larger towns or squares. Another Guild known as the Starlight Guild was posted on here, but they took their name off the list just recently. During the night a few days ago, a band of unknown Pokémon destroyed the Guild. Since they're still repairing everything, they're not recruiting anyone right now." She stated.

"Oh…" Why would anyone attack a Guild, especially if it's full of strong Pokémon?

"Well then, have you figured out which of the three you would like to join?" The Goodra asked.

"Hm…" Honestly, a Guild designated to a certain Type seemed awfully boring, and having been around Fighting and Steel Pokémon my whole life, it didn't seem very appealing. An all Types Guild sounded very exciting. "The Four Seasons Guild."

Her smile brightened considerably. "Great, the Four Seasons Guild is located just outside Daylight Square. If you'll follow me, I can take you there."

"Thanks." I smiled.

"No problem." She chuckled.

"Hey, Tsubaki?" I asked, walking beside her.

"Yes?" The Goodra hummed.

"Why is everyone so cheerful?" Everywhere I looked, Pokémon were smiling and laughing. There wasn't even a single sad face as far as I could see.

"Hm…the Pokémon at Daylight Square are usually like this. Everyone here is just a ray of sunshine. Only by rare occasion will something bad happen here. With so many smiling faces the atmosphere is quite enjoyable." She grinned.

"Hm…" I've never seen so many happy faces before. The atmosphere was enjoyable, but it's strange to see not even one sad or mad face.

The rest of the walk was silent, well…except for Tsubaki's humming. Apparently Goodra were very friendly and loving, much unlike some species of Pokémon.

"We're here." She stopped as a giant building stood in front of us.

It was a castle made of grey stones. Four towers adorned the top of it, one on every corner. Four flags also stood atop each one, each of them depicting a seen of each season, spring, summer, fall, and winter. Completing the structure was a drawbridge that was currently down, providing access into the structure as a water filled moat lay beneath it.

"Well, what do you think?" Tsubaki gestured towards it.

"It's…it looks…amazing." It really was a grand structure; I wonder what it looked like on the inside.

The Goodra giggled. "It's even more amazing on the inside. Come on, let's go in."

I nodded as she started walking across the bridge and followed close behind.

Stepping inside the castle, I gaped in awe. There was red carpet that extended all through the long hallway and diamond chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Large stain glass windows adorned the hallway with red drapes at their sides.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Tsubaki grinned at me.

"Yea." It was breathtaking.

"This place belongs to Guildmaster Darian. His family is of royal descent. He's the only one left though, the rest of his family was murdered and he inherited the castle." The Goodra stated.

"His family was murdered? That's terrible…" I said sadly.

"Yea, it was a tough time for him. After a time he stepped down from his role as prince and opened up the Guild." Tsubaki explained.

"Wow…did they ever catch the murders?" I asked.

"Yea, Darian caught them himself two years later." She nodded.

We now entered a large room where about maybe two-dozen Pokémon stood around bulletin boards.

It was decorated the same way as the previous hallway and also had golden candleholders spaced out among the walls as well.

Following Tsubaki, she approached a Braixen. "Hello, Miss Blair." She greeted.

"Hello, Tsubaki." She nodded back. Her eyes then rested on me. "Oh? Who's this? A new recruit?"

"Yes ma'am. This is Lucy." She introduced me.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Lucy. As you've heard already, my name is Blair." The Braixen smiled, shaking my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Blair." I smiled back.

Miss Blair nodded. "Let me take you to Guildmaster Darian. Tsubaki, you may come too."

"Ok. Come on Lucy." She waved towards me as her and the Braixen started to walk away.

Nodding, I followed them to a large door that had all kinds of intricate designs carved into it.

Miss Blair knocked on the big door. "Guildmaster Darian, it's Blair. May I come in?"

"You may enter." A deep voice sounded from across the other side.

Miss Blair opened up the door and we all stepped in.

Getting a close look at the Guildmaster, I now understood the name of 'Four Seasons'. Darian was a Sawsbuck and was in his Spring Form.

"Hello, Guildmaster Darian. Tsubaki has brought a new recruit."

"Hm? What's your name?" The Sawsbuck looked me over.

"Lucy." I replied.

"Well, Lucy, you don't seem like a suspicious Pokémon. Welcome to the Four Seasons Guild."

**I wasn't actually sure how to end this chapter, but I guess this part'll do. **


	3. Chapter 3: Team Delusion

**I've actually had this done for a few days, but when you're typing up two different research papers at the same time...you just don't want to type anything else for a bit. Anyways, here's Chapter 3, hope y'all enjoy it.**

**Chapter 3: Team Delusion**

After Guildmaster Darian allowed me to become a member of the Guild, he walked to the far left of the and stood in front of an emerald encrusted chest.

Nudging it open, the Sawsbuck prodded through it and clenched a small object in his mouth.

As he came to stand in front of me once again, Guildmaster Darian motioned for me to take the object.

"This is your Explorer Badge. Take it with you wherever you go. It is an essential item detailing that you are an Explorer and not an imposter."

I nodded and looked at the badge. It appeared to be made out of Silver Ultrium with an imitation sapphire resting in the center. 'Four Seasons Guild' was carved in small, intricate calligraphy on its surface.

It wasn't anything too fancy, didn't want anyone stealing it, and anyone with a trained eye could tell that the stone was fake.

"Now, the only task left is to assign you to a team."

The Sawsbuck walked behind a large pine desk that was situated in the middle of the room and started shifting through numerous papers.

"Hm…" His brows furrowed. "You shall be in Team Delusion with-" Darian was suddenly cut off short by the shrill exclamations of Miss Blair and Tsubaki.

"What? Why would you put here with him?" The Braixen stared in disbelief.

"Why can't Lucy be in my team? We're already friends, too! She doesn't need to be with someone like him!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

How bad could that Pokémon be that even Tsubaki was protesting my joining his team, and Tsubaki was an Explorer? Why didn't she tell me?

Darian sighed. "Believe me I would, but your team is full. In fact, everyone's team is full except for Sly's. It's the only option I have."

"Um…is he really that bad?" I asked, feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Sly isn't really the friendly Pokémon here. He's arrogant, obnoxious, and can be incredibly hard to get along with, but under all that he does have a caring heart." Darian said.

"A caring heart? I'll believe that when I see it." Miss Blair scowled.

"Believe me, Blair. If he didn't, then I wouldn't have allowed him to join this Guild. Do you question my judgment?" The Sawsbuck replied.

Tsubaki began to speak as Miss Blair stood there quietly. "Well, even though I don't like this, maybe having a teammate like you will help soften him up a bit." Tsubaki gave me a small smile.

I nodded uncertainly, but didn't say anything.

"Well now that the matter has been settled, Tsubaki, would you mind showing Lucy around the Guild?" Darian asked the Goodra.

"Sure thing, Guildmaster. Come on Lucy, let's go." Tsubaki replied.

"Ok. Thank you Guildmaster for allowing me to join you Guild." I thanked him.

He nodded his head and I followed Tsubaki out, closing the door behind us.

"Hey, Tsubaki? Why didn't you tell me that you were on an Exploration Team?" I asked.

"Oh, um…to be honest it never really crossed my mind." She smiled sheepishly. "But, anyways, this room is where the request boards are. There are all sorts of requests found here. They range in levels of difficulty. Some jobs require finding lost items; others are for escorting Pokémon, and finally, there are the ones that require the use of catching criminals which also happens to be Sly's specialty. These all take place in areas known as Mystery Dungeons." She explained.

"Mystery Dungeons?" I'd heard the name from my Grandfather before, but I didn't really know what they were.

"Mystery Dungeons are labyrinth-like areas with a range of floors from 3 up to 99 of them. The layout of a Mystery Dungeon changes each time you enter it, making it virtually impossible to predict how to get through it. They really are fun places to explore." The Goodra smiled.

I nodded my head at her explanation, they did sound like really cool places.

Tsubaki was about to say something else, but was suddenly interrupted by a Gabite.

"Yo, Tsubaki! Who's your friend there?" He asked.

"Hello, Drax. This is Lucy, she just joined us, and I'm giving her a tour of the Guild." She replied.

"Really? Well then, welcome to the Guild Lucy. Whose team are you in."? He smiled.

"Thank you, Drax." I smiled. "I'm in Team Delusion with someone named Sly."

Drax arched an eyebrow. "Sly? He's not going to like that. Surely the Guildmaster could have put you with someone else."

The Goodra beside me sighed and shook her head. "Guildmaster Darian said that every team is full. Putting her with Sly was his only option."

"Well that's a damn shame. It would've been nice to have you in my team." He winked at me. "Oh, and good luck with Sly, you'll need it."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

He nodded and walked off, going over to one of the many request boards around us.

"Well, now that that's over, why don't I show you around some more?" Tsubaki asked.

"Ok." The Goodra started to walk off once again and I continued to follow her.

We entered a large room where a handful of Pokémon were gathered around, sitting on couches and chair as they conversed with one another.

"This is the parlor room where we come and hang out and share information with each other." Tsubaki explained.

Next, she showed me where the dining hall and the training room. We were now going up a flight of stairs that spiraled around the inside of one of the four towers.

"All the towers here are used to house most of the Exploration Teams, there are others though that live in the halls of the castle. Sly is one of the Pokémon that resides in this tower." She looked at me.

I was about to respond, but was interrupted by a sudden commotion above me.

A stream of fire blasted through a nearby door and a Shiny Braviary came flying out with some of his tail feathers slightly burnt.

"What the hell, dude? How many times has the Guildmaster asked you to quit using Flamethrower while inside the castle?" The bird screeched.

"Well, I would if you'd stay the hell away from me!" A Shiny Zoroark stepped out, snarling at the Braviary.

The two in front of us continued to bicker back and forth to each other until Tsubaki had had enough. "Would you two stop?" She fired a dark purple blast of draconic energy at the two.

The two quarreling Pokémon yelped in surprise as the powerful Dragon Pulse hit.

What the fuck? Stay out of this Tsubaki!" The Zoroark snarled.

"Shut it, Sly." She glared.

Wait…that's Sly? Out of every Pokémon imaginable, I never expected him to be a Zoroark.

Sly's piercing gaze moved onto me. "Who the hell is this?"

Tsubaki crossed her arms. "Sly, this is Lucy, your new teammate."

"WHAT?"

**Sly's a dick ain't he? Lol, how shall he come to terms with having a new teammate? Hm...guess we'll find out next chapter, laters XP **


	4. Chapter 4: First Impressions

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks, but I've been a little busy and haven't really felt like writing. Oh, on the last chapter, I made a little edit, I accidentally used the names Foxstream and Delusion as the team name. That was an accident, Foxstream was the original name I had chosen to use as the team name, but halfway through I decided to change it to Delusion and forgot to change it on some parts. I do hope y'all enjoy this chapter though. Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Chapter 4: First Impressions**

The Braviary snickered and covered his face with his wing, obviously trying not a laugh. "W-what's your name new girl? I'm Gale."

"Um…Lucy." This was going to be incredibly awkward wasn't it?

"W-well Lucy, y-you have my sympathies." Gale was having a terrible time at keeping his laughter in check.

"Sympathy? What the hell does she get sympathy for?" The enraged Zoroark snapped.

"Because she has to put up with you!" The bird was now trying to compose himself.

"What does that mean you bastard?" Shy glared.

"It means you're an asshole!" Gale snickered.

Sly snarled and shifted his gaze over to me. "We're getting this settled right now!" He then proceeded to grab my arm and drag me down the stairs.

"Lucy!" Tsubaki and the Braviary started to follow after us.

"Hey, let go of me!" What the hell's wrong with him?

His grip only tightened as I continued to struggle against him until it felt as if my wrist was about to break.

Heads turned in our direction when we passed, curious as to what the enraged Zoroark was up to.

When we reached the request room, Guildmaster Darian was standing outside his office. It was like he was waiting for us…

"Darian! What's the meaning of this?" He bellowed.

"Sly…why are you handling miss Lucy so roughly? That's not how you treat your partner." Darian ignored his question.

Sly growled and ever so slowly let go of my arm. "What…is…the…meaning…of…this?"

"The 'meaning of this' is that it's about time you got a partner. Now, I've looked the other way for a while now, but I can't any longer. _Everyone _needs a partner, including you Sly." The Guildmaster said.

"You're wrong! I don't need a partner! Let someone else have her, I don't need her!" Sly pointed a clawed finger at me.

"Excuse me, but don't I get a say in this?" I shifted around, irritated at the obnoxious and arrogant Zoroark in front of me.

"No!" Sly turned to glare at me this time.

Darian let out an exasperated sigh. "Sly, I'm not going to change my mind. Lucy is your partner and that's final."

"If you don't mind Guildmaster, I have a suggestion." Gale and Tsubaki stepped in from behind me.

"Oh, and what would that be?" The Guildmaster asked.

"Why don't they have a battle? If Lucy wins, she will be allowed to be Sly's partner no matter how much he hates it and if Sly wins, Lucy will join a different team, even if they're all full, or she can form her own team."

"Or better yet, she can just leave." Sly growled.

"She will do no such thing Sly. However, I will agree to Gale's proposition. Lucy, Sly, do you agree to his terms?" Darian looked over both of us.

"Yes!" Sly replied, rather aggressively.

I sighed as four pairs of eyes trained on me. "…Yes."

Sly's eyes gleamed viciously as he sneered. "Get ready to get your ass handed to ya." He turned and left.

"You're letting them fight? Sly's the best fighter in here!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

"Even so, I think she can beat him. Even if Lucy loses, it will be an interesting match to witness." Darian nodded.

"I guess…" The dragon sighed, clearly unhappy with the situation at hand.

"Well, let's get going then, shall we?" Gale made a swooping gesture with his wing and followed after Sly.

Giving an exasperated sigh, I followed suit, Darian and Tsubaki trailing behind me. Why do I have to do this?

Much to my dismay, the Training Room was quite…lively. At least a dozen Pokémon stood around the battlefield, with Sly in the center.

As I approached the center of the room, whispers could be heard amongst the other Pokémon here.

"Hey, look! There she is!"

"That's her? I think Sly's going to have a hard time with this one."

"Are you kidding? He can burn her to a crisp using Flamethrower! Focus Blast will do a nasty bit of damage too."

"Maybe, but Steel Types are incredibly sturdy. She can do quite a bit of damage herself if she uses moves such as Aura Sphere and Close Combat."

"You're right, but how powerful is she? Will she be strong enough to actually beat Sly?"

"We'll just have to wait and see."

The whispering was brought to a halt as I stood opposite of Sly. The air was thick with tension, as the gathered Pokémon waited with bated breath to see which of us would triumph.

As I waited for the battle to start, I took this opportunity to study the Zoroark's aura. The aura was incredibly aggressive, lashing out in great wisps. There was also a sense of eagerness to it, it was clearly evident that Sly loved to battle, and was definitely looking forward to besting me in battle…but…there was also something else there, it was faint, but I could just barely make it out…interest?

I didn't get to analyze it any further as crimson flames started to leak from his unopened maw.

I dodged the stream of flames quite easily, although a few of the Pokémon behind me who hadn't scrambled away in time singed pretty badly. I charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it. Halfway between us though, it collided with an oncoming Focus Blast and exploded, filling the room momentarily with smoke.

It didn't last long though as Gale and the other Flying Types blew it away within seconds using their powerful wings.

There was something off though once the smoke finally cleared away…Sly had vanished. Everyone looked around frantically for the missing Zoroark, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Lucy!" I recognized the voice of Drax.

Spotting him in the crowd, I followed his gaze upwards. Coming from up above me, Sly was falling head first at me, claws coated in a form of dark energy. How the hell did he get up there?

I brought an arm up just in time to avoid being clawed in the face, and brought the other one up to send him flying with a Bullet Punch.

Surprise and irritation flickered in his aura, but disappeared as he released a wide ranged Flamethrower. Unable to doge all of it, my right leg was caught in the blaze.

I winced in pain as I brought my leg out of the fire. The fur was charred black and burned off in some places, revealing the irritated skin underneath. Sly was going all out if the flames were that hot.

As my burned leg distracted me, Sly made a run for me once again with claws cloaked in dark energy. He swiped them across my chest and I yelped in pain. Of course I resisted Dark Type attacks thanks to my Fighting Type attributes, but the attack still hurt.

He leapt back before I could strike him back, but I used Extreme Speed to catch up and continued on with a Close Combat. The Zoroark sailed through the air and landed on the ground with a _thud_ from the impact.

He didn't get back up…I had won.


End file.
